Life Dungeon Game

Chapter 537 The Forest Bar (Long Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

“There’s no harm in telling you,” Norbeck said slowly after a moment’s thought. “Our client is Thorne.”

"Thorn?"

He Ao raised an eyebrow.

This name wasn't among any of Jess's memories.

"'The introducer,' Thorne,"

Since he had already said it, Norbeck no longer concealed it; it wasn't any particularly important information anyway.

“He was in charge of getting tasks from big shots and then entrusting them to us. Those big shots didn’t trust us low-level workers, so they would ask these people to handle the tasks on their behalf. Thorne would take a portion of the final commission as his own ‘referral fee’.”

"A profession similar to 'middleman'?"

He asked softly.

It appears that the mysterious person did not directly contact the detective agency, but rather used someone else to relay messages.

"It's fair to say that there are many people in Waitland who act as these middlemen,"

To buy time, Norbeck didn't mind giving Heo a basic lesson on the underground world.

"Most of them worked in gangs when they were young, and after accumulating a certain reputation and having contact with both superiors and subordinates, they started to work as middlemen."

"Some middlemen will take on apprentices to take over their positions and have these apprentices protect their children. However, this is rare. Most middlemen will try to send their children to school so that they can become doctors, lawyers, or join large corporations, keeping them away from our dangerous profession."

"Is 'Thorne' the best 'middleman' in Waitland?"

He Ao continued to ask.

To be able to receive a mission from the mysterious person and be trusted by him, Thorne's status must be quite high.

"Not really,"

Norbeck shook his head. "Thorn is very capable, but he can only be considered the best middleman in the West District at best. The best middleman in the entire Vitland is 'Pharmacist' Hashi in the Forest Bar. Without exception, everyone who can get a mission from the Forest Bar is a well-known figure in the entire Vitland."

It appears that the underground world of Whitland is divided into clearly defined zones.

Unlike the Dawn City conglomerates, which directly contact gangs and even support them in controlling the underworld, the Wetterland conglomerates are clearly more protective of their reputation. They use intermediaries to contact underground gangs, thus avoiding getting embroiled in the scandals of gang warfare.

Different levels of intermediaries further distinguish different levels of underground circles. When a conglomerate wants to find someone to do something, it only needs to find an intermediary in the corresponding circle.

This method can naturally separate conglomerates and high-ranking figures from the risks, but the consequence is that conglomerates have almost no direct control over the underworld.

In order to protect their authority, the middleman would certainly not allow the emergence of a large gang like the one in Dawn City that could dominate the entire city.

Therefore, the underworld of Whitland is probably even more chaotic than that of Dawn City.

Without a major power, it is impossible to amass enough wealth to influence the city council, which further solidifies the conglomerate's rule in Whitland.

The city maintains a chaotic yet stable balance.

He Ao quickly

Having grasped the key points behind Nobek's statement, he then steered the conversation back on track, "So the secret medicine you gave me was all from Thorin?"

He slowly moved half a step towards the door.

"Yes."

Norbeck nodded slightly.

At the same time, he gestured to those around him to further surround Heo.

He knew that he and He Ao probably wouldn't be able to talk for much longer.

He Ao seemed oblivious to the movement of those around him and continued to ask, "So, did he give you the C-grade secret medicine after 'The Benefactor'?"

"No,"

Nobek shook his head directly, "However, in order to keep you calm, he once told me the name of one of the C-level talent sequences corresponding to the benefactor."

"What is it?"

He looked at him.

"Talent Sequence 108: Missionary".

Norbeck suddenly opened his drooping palm.

The instant he finished speaking, the sounds of exploding gunfire and laser cannons erupted simultaneously.

The guns these people use are not as powerful as the mercenaries' Gauss guns, but they are enhanced pistols specifically designed to target superhumans and can still inflict damage on D-class individuals.

If those miniature laser cannons hit a vital spot, they can cause fatal damage to a Class D.

These people's prosthetic bodies also appear to be good prosthetic bodies that are close to Class D.

Norbek knew very well that he couldn't stall Heo for long. Rather than letting Heo leave on his own and triggering a fight, he might as well strike while Heo was distracted, thus increasing his chances of winning.

At this moment, he finally stopped hesitating.

As his men opened fire, a flexible short sword that had been hidden in his sleeve slid out and landed in his hand.

In such a short time, at such a fast speed, and with laser cannons involved, it was impossible for the 'Giving Man' to dodge it with his severely injured physical condition alone.

Even if 'Jace' dodges some attacks, he will inevitably be hit by others. All he needs to do is rush in and finish them off.

He swung the short sword in his hand, and the bullets struck the ground with a booming sound, sending up flying pebbles and a light cloud of dust.

At that moment, Norbeck lunged forward, intending to take Heo's life while he was injured.

Although it's unclear why the client asked for such a high price of ten million, it seems that this ten million is the easiest ten million he has ever earned.

The billowing smoke briefly obscured the spot where Heo stood, and also briefly obscured Nobeck's vision. Behind the smoke, there were faint sounds of sharp objects piercing flesh, metal tearing, and heavy objects falling to the ground.

Nobek sensed something was wrong and tried to back away, but it was too late. A sharp object appeared in front of his chest, and the sharp blade instantly pierced through his chest and into his heart.

"It seems,"

The billowing smoke quickly dissipated, revealing Heo standing before Norbeck. He lowered his head slightly, leaned close to Norbeck's ear, and smiled gently, "Your client didn't tell you what happened last night."

Then he slowly pulled out the dagger that had pierced Nobek's heart, and blood with a slight green glow splattered out, staining his already dried crimson clothes with new color.

Covered in fresh

The blood-stained dagger spun in He Ao's palm, wiping away the bloodstains, leaving it like a vibrant, blooming flower.

He turned his head and looked behind him. The thick smoke and dust slowly dissipated, revealing the scene behind it.

Holding guns, eyes wide with disbelief, a burly man with a slashed neck, and a shattered, still-electrifying prosthetic body—they were all mixed together, filling one of the few empty spaces in the office.

Blood soaked the gleaming power lines.

At that moment, the bracelet on Norbeck's wrist slowly lit up; it was a message from someone whose contact name was Thorne.

The client's people will arrive soon.

A ray of brilliant light flowed from the horizon, and a bright, pale white blanket covered the city skyline.

Dawn has arrived.

He Ao turned around, stepped over the pool of blood on the ground, slowly opened the door, and left the detective agency.

He got back into his car and started the autopilot. "Eve, help me retrieve information about Thorne."

"OK,"

The little girl in the white dress appeared on the car's infotainment screen: "Information on 'Introducer' Thorne has been found. We are verifying his address. Two publicly known addresses have been identified. Should we set one of them as the destination?"

Meanwhile, Thorne's information began appearing on the windshields of vehicles.

"Need not,"

He glanced at the document on the windshield. Most of it was an introduction to Thorne, saying that he was reliable and kept secrets, and was the best middleman in the entire West District. There was no particularly crucial information.

He looked away and leaned back in the driver's seat. "Navigate to 'Forest Bar' for me."

"Ok!"

The little girl on the screen slowly disappeared, and the screen transformed into a navigation interface.

As the vehicle moved forward, the sign for the Norbeck Detective Agency gradually disappeared from the rearview image.

Norbeck couldn't possibly have guessed when Heo would be going to the detective agency on his own, so someone must have reminded him and told him that after meeting Heo, he should either distract or kill him, and also told him about the reward.

This person is most likely the middleman Thorne, and Thorne's information came from the mysterious man.

In fact, the mysterious man most likely never intended to give Nobeck the ten million bounty. After last night, he should have had a better understanding of Heo's strength. He knew very well that even Heo, who should theoretically be seriously injured, was not someone Nobeck could kill.

The reason the mysterious man offered such a price for something impossible is simple: to stimulate Norbeck's greed with a huge bounty, so that even if they couldn't use their wits to hold off Heo, they would still launch a ruthless attack on him.

It would take Heo some time to deal with them, which would delay Heo's progress for the Mystic.

The mysterious man didn't care about their lives; he simply used them to achieve his own goals, just as they used Jess's life to earn a high reward for themselves.

Since the mysterious person guessed that He Ao might go to the detective agency, he must have been prepared for the detective agency to leak information.

After getting He Ao to the detective agency

Upon receiving the news, they should have already sent people to "protect" Thorne, waiting for Heo to walk right into their trap.

Therefore, now is not the best time to go find Thorne.

However, the mysterious man was largely deducing Heo's behavior based on Jess's previous kind and naive habits.

These people who are now on their way to the detective agency may have been waiting near Jess's house all night.

According to Jess's original logic, even if Jess had doubts about the detective agency, he wouldn't immediately confront them. When people are confused or desperate, their first thought is to go home.

Therefore, the mysterious man must have positioned the main force near Jess's house, while simultaneously having the detective agency send messages to probe Heo's location.

Their men waited all night in vain, and then He Ao appeared downstairs at the detective agency without warning.

This unexpected action cost them the initiative, and by the time they received the news and rushed over, Heo had already dealt with Norbek and left.

However, He Ao guessed that after losing contact with Nobek, the mysterious man had probably sent most of his men to Thorne, so that they could give He Ao an overwhelming advantage when he went to find Thorne.

This time, the enemy is likely not just a C-rank enemy or a mercenary squad.

Unfortunately, Heo did not go to Thorne's place.

The silver-gray sedan drove towards the direction of dawn.